Thriving in a hyper-competitive world
Nous Group is an international management consultancy with over 500 people working across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. With our broad consulting capability, we can solve your most complex strategic challenges and partner with you through transformational change. Together, Nous and Cubane form one of the most authoritative higher education service businesses operating today – a true leader in higher education with global expertise.
About Nous
Contact Us
Contact Us
System planning and design
Engagement and co-design
Service redesign and integration
Monitoring and evaluation
Results from the inaugural Global Survey of International Education Leaders
Download Full Report
Download Full Report
The COVID-19 pandemic has put internationalisation at the forefront of strategic priorities for universities across the world. The pandemic has accelerated several trends in global education delivery, offering new opportunities but requiring new capabilities to capture them.
At the same time, international leaders face the challenge of balancing ambitious growth aspirations with the need for diversification and an increasing emphasis on student experience and outcomes.
Recognising these challenges, we surveyed 100 senior operational and strategic leaders with responsibilities for international education and global engagement across Australia, the UK and Canada to understand their internationalisation agendas, priorities and sense of the opportunity ahead.
The inaugural Global Survey of International Education Leaders online survey was completed by 100 senior operational and strategic leaders with responsibilities for international education and global engagement at universities in Australia, Canada and the UK between August and November 2022. Typical respondent roles included Deputy Vice Chancellor (International), Pro Vice Chancellor (International), Vice President (International) and Director (International). Survey results were supplemented by additional commentary and insight from Navitas and Nous Group consultants.
About the survey
Our findings are distilled into six key themes:
Download Full Report
Download Full Report
“It is clear to us that while the role of the COO has only recently evolved to include that of a strategic partner, by the end of the decade it will be more fully realised provided COOs can action these significant and strategic organisational changes.”
70 university
operational
leaders ACROSS
Zac Ashkanasy
PRINCIPAL, NOUS GROUP
GLOBAL HEAD OF HIGHER EDUCATION
zac.ashkanasy@nousgroup.com
Matt Durnin
Principal, Nous Group
matt.durnin@nousgroup.com
Download the report, Thriving in a hyper-competitive world: results from the inaugural Global Survey of International Education Leaders
Get the latest insighst from our University COO Survey report.
AUTHORS
1
2
3
4
5
6
THE INTERNATIONALISATION AGENDA
A strategic imperative but confidence is uncertain
BALANCING PRIORITIES
Growing revenue and volume without sacrificing quality and diversity
RISKS ABOUND
Challenges include competition, shifting markets and international dynamics
RECRUITMENT LEVERS
New opportunities to use different recruitment mechanisms
STUDENT RECRUITMENT
New global delivery models are emerging
OPTIMISM REMAINS
Confidence high for institutional strengths and underlying demand
A strategic imperative but confidence is uncertain
Internationalisation is back at the forefront of the strategic agenda. More than 90% of international education leaders agree that internationalisation is a high priority for their university. Despite the consensus, not all international leaders are confident their strategic ambitions can be achieved. Less than half believe their university has adequate resourcing to deliver on its internationalisation aspirations.
One in four respondents disagree or strongly disagree that their university has the necessary skills and capabilities.
1 THE INTERNATIONALISATION AGENDA
Jon Chew
Global head of insights and analytics, Navitas
jon.chew@navitas.com
11%
37%
22%
22%
30%
13%
57%
53%
12%
29%
New global delivery models are emerging
Internationalisation spans many domains. International recruitment and study abroad are well-established strategies, but the pandemic has also accelerated several global trends as universities looked for education delivery models that could overcome closed borders and campuses. These trends include affiliations and partnerships, transnational education (TNE) and offshore branch campuses.
New models are emerging but international student recruitment remains a dominant focus.
2 STUDENT RECRUITMENT
How would you rate the level of importance of the following areas to your university’s internationalisation strategy?
Growing revenue and volume without sacrificing quality and diversity
There is a tension between providing an accessible and high-quality education and the undeniable role international student fees play in a university’s financial performance. When international leaders are asked to rank their priorities in managing international recruitment, about half of respondents give top priority to increasing revenue, and about one-third give top priority to increasing volume.
Diversity and quality remain important, but not at the expense of volume and revenue.
3 BALANCING PRIORITIES
How would you rate the level of importance of the following areas [OUTCOMES] to your university’s international student recruitment strategy?
12%
12%
24%
52%
31%
14%
28%
28%
29%
34%
23%
14%
26%
40%
26%
8%
New opportunities to use different recruitment mechanisms
International offices are employing several levers to drive recruitment efforts. As the sector becomes increasingly competitive, more sophisticated approaches and correspondingly higher investment will be needed to capture new markets. But regardless of approach, leaders signal that significant overall investment is necessary to achieve recruitment targets.
Investment allocations reflect a strong growth, quality and diversity agenda.
4 RECRUITMENT LEVERS
WHAT INVESTMENT LEVEL DOES YOUR UNIVERSITY ANTICIPATE FOR THE NEXT 1-2 YEARS COMPARED TO THE YEAR PAST FOR EACH OF THESE RECRUITMENT MECHANISMS?
24%
43%
30%
37%
54%
7%
63%
27%
51%
33%
10%
34%
54%
7%
15%
56%
24%
Growing international student numbers from countries where we are under represented
Marketing and promotion activities
Marketing and recruitment staff
Agent aggregators and digital recruitment platforms
Scholarships
Education agent commissions and incentives
Challenges include competition, shifting markets and international dynamics
Nearly all survey respondents believe we are entering a more competitive period in international education student recruitment. Survey respondents say the key risks facing them are a deteriorating macroeconomic climate and rising geopolitical tensions. Leaders see little risk of declining interest in international study, and they have little concern about the risk of future pandemics.
5 RISKS ABOUND
How would you rate the significance of the following risks for your university’s internationalisation agenda?
Confidence high for institutional strengths and underlying demand
Most international education leaders are optimistic about the global outlook, reflecting broad confidence in the fundamental demand for international education.
The leaders also report very high optimism for their own university, which likely reflects a belief in the transformative nature of the experience they offer, as well as increased control over institutional strategies.
6 OPTIMISM REMAINS
HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOLLOWING RISKS FOR YOUR UNIVERSITY’S INTERNATIONALISATION AGENDA?
Australian universities are the most optimistic, followed by the UK and Canada
AUSTRALIA
canada
uk
Broadly, many cultures will continue to value a good university education internationally, so the demand in the long-term is still there.
Globally
In your country
In your state/province/
region
Your university
My university has the skills and capabilities to successfully execute IN NEW FOCUS AREAS
Additional contributions provided by Simone Briggs and Michael Tremblay.
EXTREMELY OR VERY IMPORTANT
SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT OR IMPORTANT
NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT
Globally
In your country
In your state/province/
region
Your university
Globally
In your country
In your state/province/
region
Your university
Download Full Report
Download Full Report